Crush
by lakergirl4life
Summary: Jason visits Brenda on her twenty-fifth birthday to make good on a promise he made when they were 18. Jason Quartermaine and Brenda. Brazen.


A/N: Jason's accident never happened.

* * *

**2000**

"I wasn't sure if you were coming or not," Brenda Barrett said. She stepped aside and led her best friend, Jason Quartermaine, into her cottage.

"We made a deal," Jason said. "Unless - did you change your mind?"

Brenda shook her head, "No - not unless you did," Brenda said. She wanted to, more than she wanted to admit but if it wasn't what Jason wanted then she wouldn't make him do it. She wasn't going to hold him to a promise he made seven years ago if he didn't want to.

"You left your party without saying goodbye," Jason said, taking off his suit jacket and setting it on a chair. "I wasn't sure if I should come by or wait for you to call me or what."

"I wasn't sure what to do either so I left," Brenda said. Tonight was her twenty-fifth birthday and she had a huge birthday bash at Luke's Club. It was a great party, good food, good drinks and good friends. But she left early, feigning a headache. But really, she just needed some time to sort out her love life. After another disastrous relationship she was single again.

She had terrible taste in guys. Instead of falling for the nice guy, she fell for the guy that broke her heart - again and again. First there was Jagger Cates. Without a doubt, Jagger was the hottest guy at Port Charles High School and she was thrilled when they started dating. But he dumped her for another girl. After Jagger, she had a brief fling with local mobster Sonny Corinthos. That was even more of a disaster because he couldn't tell her the truth if his life depended on it. Thankfully, she got out of that relationship before it cost her more than a broken heart. And then there was Jax. She thought she needed someone who wasn't a bad boy, so she fell for a white knight. Jax was great. He was charming and successful in business. He lavished attention and presents on her. There was just one problem, he was already married. He neglected to mention that to her, but thankfully Sonny was thoughtful enough to bring Jax's first wife to her wedding to Jax. After Jax, she swore off men because she was sick of getting her heart shattered into a million pieces.

Jason reached for Brenda's hand and led her to the sofa, he waited for her to sit down and he sat down next to her.

Brenda smiled at Jason. This was the guy she should've fallen in love with. Jason was great, he was a nice guy and treated her with respect. He listened to her and thought she was more than a pretty face. Maybe if she hadn't been so obsessed with getting Jagger back she could've started something with Jason. But she'd pretty much blown any chance they could've had together when she turned him down after prom. She hadn't meant to use Jason to make Jagger jealous, but she had and she almost lost his friendship over it. Eight years later, their friendship was solid but she wasn't sure he'd ever be into her again. "Are you nervous?" Brenda asked. "I shouldn't be, but I am."

"A little," Jason said. "It's a big step."

"You know, when we made that deal - I was positive that you would be married by now and I'd be single," Brenda said. "But here we are, both single."

_"Do you believe in fate?" Jason asked._

_Brenda laughed, "No," Brenda said._

_"Seriously?" Jason asked. "I thought you believed in fate and romance and - "_

_"And getting your heart broken and being in a relationship with someone who isn't into you half as much as you are into them? Yeah, it's fate that I have horrible taste in guys and - "_

_"You're too young to be this jaded," Jason said._

_"If I'm old enough to get my heart broken, I'm old enough to be jaded," Brenda said._

_"You're giving up too easily," Jason said._

_"Giving up? What if that was my chance? What if Jagger was my one shot at happiness? I'm not like you Jason. I'm not perfect or smart - "_

_"You're smart," Jason said._

_Brenda offered a small smile to Jason, "That's sweet of you to say that, but we both know I barely graduated from high school," Brenda said. "Most guys that ask me out, they either want to sleep with me or they want my money."_

_"They're missing out," Jason said._

_"You know maybe, you're right. Maybe it's fate that Jagger got together with Karen and its' fate that we ended up alone," Brenda said. "I'm going to end up an old maid with twenty cats."_

_"I doubt that's going to happen," Jason said._

_"It could happen," Brenda said. "I'm never going to meet a great guy or if I do he won't want me. I'm going to die single - "_

_"You won't die single," Jason said._

_"You don't know that," Brenda said._

_"Okay, I'll make you a deal," Jason said. "If we're not married by the time we're thirty, I'll marry you."_

_"Wow, with a proposal like that how can a girl refuse? Can you make it sound any more like a chore?" Brenda asked._

_"Okay, if we're both single when we're thirty - lets get married," Jason said. "We can get married in Grandmother's rose garden - "_

_"No, not at the mansion. If it's going to be a pity wedding, we need to pull out all the stops. We can go to Vegas and get married in some cheesy wedding chapel," Brenda said._

_"So do we have a deal?" Jason asked._

_Brenda smiled, "Yes," Brenda said. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're too good to me. You're such a good friend."_

_"You too," Jason said, putting his arm around Brenda._

_"You know - I was thinking, thirty is kinda old," Brenda said. "I want kids. Don't you want kids?"_

_"Yeah," Jason said. "Someday."_

_"Twenty-five," Brenda said._

_"You want twenty-five kids? Are you insane?" Jason asked._

_"No Not twenty-five kids. Let's get married when we're twenty-five," Brenda said. "You'll be finishing up med school and I'll - " Brenda paused. "I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but that seems like the right time to start a family. Is that okay with you?"_

_Jason nodded, "Twenty-five," Jason said. "On your twenty-fifth birthday, if we're single, lets get married."_

"Maybe you were right," Brenda said.

"Right about what?" Jason asked.

"Fate," Brenda said. "Maybe it's fate that we keep ending up alone."

"That's depressing," Jason said.

"That's not what I mean, I mean - " Brenda paused. "Everyone we've broken up with over the years, maybe they're not the one. Maybe I'm supposed to end up with you."

* * *

_"Maybe I'm supposed to end up with you."_

He had a confession. Somewhere along the way, he'd fallen for Brenda Barrett. Jason wasn't sure when it happened, but it had. Every relationship he was in since they made their deal was a complete failure, and it was all because each woman wasn't Brenda.

All his long term relationships ended because he never had enough time for the women he dated. His girlfriends took a backseat to his school and family obligations. But there was one person he always made time for, Brenda. No matter how busy he was, if her life was falling to pieces he was going to help her pick it up.

His first serious girlfriend after Karen Wexler was Keesha Ward. Things were going well for the two of them, but she never got him the way Brenda did. Keesha was jealous of his close friendship with Brenda and that was the main reason they broke up. He blew off their anniversary to hang out with Brenda after she broke up with Sonny. After Keesha, he started dating Carly Benson. He met her when she started the nursing program at General Hospital. They dated for about two years and then she broke up with him because she never saw him despite both of them working at the hospital and living together. Last he heard, Carly moved back to Florida and got back together with her old boyfriend. There were a few women after Carly, but no one serious.

"So now you believe in fate?" Jason asked. "You think it's fate that we're going to get married?" This was the first time since that night that he and Brenda talked about their arrangement. Sure they joked about it every few years, usually when they were drunk but the next day neither of them mentioned it.

"Maybe," Brenda said, turning so she was facing Jason. Brenda gently ran her hand along Jason's face, smiling when he pulled her closer. "We're a lot alike and we're really going to do this, aren't we?"

Jason nodded and ran his fingers through Brenda's hair. "Yeah, we can elope tonight if you want. Do you still want to do the Vegas thing?"

Brenda laughed, "Your family would flip," Brenda said. "I'd like to do something that's just the two of us. It doesn't have to be Vegas. Maybe Atlantic City or just something in the courthouse or - "

"A beach would be nice," Jason said. No one was going to understand why they suddenly got married and he didn't want to have to explain it to anyone or have anyone try to talk them out of it.

Brenda smiled, "Next week?" Brenda asked.

"Sounds good," Jason said. He couldn't believe he was sitting her discussing his wedding with Brenda as casually as a concert in the park. "I - " Jason paused and reached in his pocket, "I got you something." He wasn't sure if he was supposed to propose or have a ring or not, but he wanted some memory of this night. Even if it was just Brenda agreeing she'd marry him. Jason pulled out a ring and held it in front of Brenda, "Will you marry me?"

Brenda nodded, "Yes," Brenda whispered. She smiled as Jason slid the ring on her finger. Brenda leaned forward and quickly kissed Jason. Her eyes opened as Jason pulled her closer and deepened their kiss.

He hadn't kissed her like this in years. He'd wanted to, but the timing had never been right. But now, with them getting married - it was only natural that they would become intimate with each other. Or at least he thought they would, the night they made their deal Brenda talked about having kids, he assumed she meant with him. But maybe she hadn't. "Are we okay?" Jason asked.

Brenda nodded and held out her hand, admiring the ring. "I can't believe you got me a ring," Brenda said.

"It's Grandmother's," Jason said. "If you don't like it - "

"No, it's perfect," Brenda said. "This - this is perfect." She brushed her lips over Jason's in a chaste kiss, then pulled back. Brenda reached out to touch Jason's face. She traced her fingertips along his jaw and softly kissed him. "This - is this okay?"

It was better than okay. It was a fantasy of his come to life. "Yeah," Jason said.

"Good," Brenda said, leaning forward to kiss him again.

Jason groaned as Brenda's kisses became more demanding. He could hardly think straight with her body pressed against his. Brenda's hands slid underneath his shirt and started unbuttoning it. Jason leaned back on the sofa as Brenda pulled open his shirt, trailing kisses along his chest. God, he wanted her. He'd wanted her since they were in high school but she hadn't been interested. If it wasn't because of some stupid deal they made when they were still teenagers he wouldn't be here with her now. Lost in the sensations of Brenda kissing him, Jason drifted back to reality when he felt Brenda's hand on his belt. Jason's eyes opened and he gently reached for her wrists. "You don't have - "

Brenda pulled back from Jason and averted her gaze. "I'm sorry. I thought - " Brenda paused and shook her head. "You know, let's just forget this happened. I - I got caught up in the moment. I think I had one too many drinks at my party. You know we can forget you stopped by here at all. I - "

Great, she thought he didn't want her. He'd already messed things up between them before they even got started. Jason touched Brenda's chin, forcing her to look at him. "I don't want to forget this happened," Jason said. "I want this to happen. I don't want you to feel obligated - "

"I don't," Brenda said. "Jason, I want you. I've had a crush on you for a while."

"You had a crush on me?" Jason asked. This was news to him. Brenda flirted with him. Sometimes they kissed, but it had never progressed further than that. "When?"

"High school," Brenda said. "After high school. A few years ago. Now."

Seriously? She had a crush on him now? Not five years ago, but now? "Right now?" Jason asked.

Brenda nodded, "Like right now," Brenda whispered before leaning in for a kiss.

"Good," Jason said, pulling Brenda closer. "Because right now - I've got a crush on you."

Brenda traced her fingers over Jason's lips and leaned closer as he gently bit one of her fingertips. "This works," Brenda said. "Because - " Brenda paused and framed Jason's face with her hands. "Jason, I know - this whole marriage thing, I know it was a deal we made when we were kids. And you're my best friend, and I love you and I care about you. I want you. I want to be with you. You're important to me. Your friendship means a lot to me. Us being together - sleeping together, that's something we've never done before. I don't want to mess us up before we start. We can scrap this whole engagement thing and take this a day at a time. We can try for real, when we get married - if we get married, it can be real." A few moments passed, and Brenda sighed. "Or we can forget I ever opened my mouth and - "

Jason cut Brenda off with a kiss. "You're so beautiful," Jason said. "Whatever this is between us, it's real. I know it's real. I love you and it's only a matter of time before I fall in love with you. I'm going to make you fall in love with me - "

"You're going to make me fall in love with you?" Brenda asked. "Pretty confident, Quartermaine."

"You're one to talk," Jason said.

_"I just might have to make you fall in love with me," Brenda said._

_Jason laughed, "Brenda, you can't make me fall in love with you."_

"I can't believe you remember that," Brenda said, laughing. "But, I think you have a good shot of making me fall in love with you." Brenda stood up and reached for Jason's hands, pulling him to his feet.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Do you remember that night we went for a drive and you tried to kiss me?" Brenda asked. "I said I just wanted to be friends and you said we'd take things nice and slow."

"This night isn't going to end like that, is it?" Jason asked.

"It better not," Brenda said. "I think we've taken things nice and slow. It's been seven years and - " Brenda's voice trailed off as Jason started kissing her neck. "And I'm talking too much."

"You're right," Jason said.

"About talking too much?" Brenda asked.

Jason laughed softly as Brenda led him to her bedroom. "There's that," Jason said. "But I meant that night, you said it was fate we ended up alone. I think it's fate that we ended up together."

"I think so too," Brenda said, pulling Jason closer for a kiss. "Definitely fate."

THE END


End file.
